Quitaraju[3][4] or Kitaraju[4] (possibly from Ancash Quechua kita dam,[5] Quechua rahu snow, ice)[6] is a mountain in the Cordillera Blanca in the Andes of Peru, about 6,036 metres (19,803 ft) high.

It is situated in the Ancash Region, Huaylas Province, Santa Cruz District.

[7] Quitaraju lies north of the Santa Cruz Creek and the lakes named Ichiccocha, Jatuncocha and Quitacocha, between Santa Cruz in the west and Alpamayo in the northeast.

Its parent peak is Nevado Santa Cruz and the Topographic isolation is 4.9 kilometers.

[12] Quitaraju was first climbed by Arnold Awerzger and Erwin Schneider (Austria) June 17, 1936.